Information about the surface components of the ground, for example, its rocks, soils, sand, vegetation, and artificial land covers such as asphalt and concrete, is used in understanding, monitoring, and modeling properties of soils, and for determining how to protect the environment. In the field of soil science, information characterizing the composition and composition of ground soils, hereinafter also referred to simply as soil, is used to improve soil and crop quality. Properties of soil and soil quality are routinely determined through laboratory analysis of collected soil samples. Reflectance spectroscopy of soil samples provides measurements of a spectrum of light reflected by a soil sample from a known spectrum of light illuminating the soil to provide data for assessing attributes of the soil.